Direction-indicating signal.



J. J. OGONNELL. DIRECTION INDIGATING. SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1913 Patented ManlO, 191% a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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q/vi/bnaomo WQQM J. J. OGONNELL. DIRECTION mmomme SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED MAY 21,1913. 1,089,950. Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

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8 vwwmtoz LUE/time, no u 9 HQA T 0 all whom '1' It may concern are appended hereto and form-a part of this JAMES J. OCONNELL, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

DIRECTION-TNDICATING SIGNAL.

Specification of Lettcrs Patent.

Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

Application filed May 21, 1913] Serial No. 769,111.

Be it known that I, JAMES J. OCoNNnnL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Direction- Indicating Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled inthe art to which it a ppertains to make and use the same. I

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in direction indicating signals for automobiles, and as its principal object aims to provide a device of this character which'mafv be electrically operated from the drivers seat to indicate to the driver of an oncoming vehicle that the signal carrying carcontemplates a left turn, right turn, or a stop, as the case may be.

A further object is to combine a signal of the above type with theordinary rear danger light, such as is universally required by all State laws.

A further object is to provide a signal constructed in such manner that the right, left, stop, and rear light characteristics and license plate-may all be illuminated by a single electric lamp.

A still further object is to equipthe sig-' nal with a number of sliding shutters operated by electromagnets, which are controlled from the drivers seat, the shutters being so arranged that they n .y be inde-. pendently operated to selectively illuminate the various elements of the signal.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification, and then .more particularly pointed out in the claims which application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention, as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts: Figure 1 is a front elevation of'the signal with the license plate attached in assembled position. Fig. 2 is a section on the line22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an interior elevation with the back plate removed. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a section on the line (Ii-"(i of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical wiring system. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the frame employed in mounting the glass signal plates.

Proceeding now to the description of the drawings. the numeral 10 designates a cylindrical casing, on the rear edge of which, and c1reumferentially spaced from each other, as indicated at 11 in Fig. 5 and Fig. 2, are

formed a number of internally screw threadthe casing, project through apertures formed in a base wall 12, and are held in fixed position by burs or nuts 13. The casing 10 is formed with a circular face plate lei, which is formed with three rectangular openings, individually designated in Fig. l by the numerals 15, 16 and 17. elongated slot is cut in the face plate 14, as at 18, in Fig. 1, and the plate is stamped out to produce the reflecting shields 19- and20, which are respectively bent to extend cxteriorly and interiorly of the casing, in order to reflect the light from an electric lamp 21 secured centrally of the base plate onto a license plate 22 which is bolted or otherwise secured to a fastening strap 29, fixed on the lower por- .ed lugs, which, in the assembled position of tion of the face plate 14. The particular function of the members 19 and 20 will be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

Centrally of the face plate 14 and in the space formed between the members 15, 16.:- and 17, a circular opening is formed, in

which a red tail light glass 23 is arranged. In the three openings 15, 16 and 17 are respectively arranged the three signal glass plates 24, 25 and 26. As most clearly shown in Fig. 1. these three glass plates are pref-. erab'ly colored, the member 24 being purple, the member 25 red, and the member 26 green. Arrows are. formed in the glass plates in the usual manner, and at the end of the arrow shafts are placed the direction indicating characteristics S, and L, respectively designating :1 right turn, a: stop, and a left turn. The glass plates 24, 5 and '26, and

license plate 92, are all designed tocbe illumlnated by a single electric lamp, above referred to by the numeral 21. The tail signal 23 and the license plate 22 arc'designed to be illuminated at all times, while the invention contemplates the independent illuanination of the three direction indicating signal glass plates 24, 25 and 26, in the manner now to the disclosed. I

- It will be observed by reference partici .be had-therefore, particularly to 6;

ularly to Fig. 3, that the plates 24,".25 and. 26 are. arranged to cover the openings 15,- 16 and 17, by being mounted in .substantially U-sh'aped metallic frames,one-of which is designated as an entirety by the numeral 27 in Fig.8. The frames27 may be sol dered or otherwise secured in any desired manner to the face plate 14. Each of the glass plates of the signalplates24, 25 and '26 is. equipped with a casing, designated as entireties by the numerals 28, 29 and 30. By'reference'to Fig. 4-it will be observed that the casings 28, 29 and 30 are similar in construction, and it is therefore deemednecessary to. describe only one of them in detail, the member 30 being chosen inth-ls instance. Each casing includes a-rear wall 315 and divergent top and end walls, re-' spectively designated by the numerals 32, 33. and 34. The casings are mounted on the inner face of the plate 14, by being soldered; or otherwise secured, and .are all arranged with their open ends adjacent the center point of the casing, thus making. each of the chambers A, B, and G, respectively formed by the casings 28, 29 land 30, edui-distant from the electric lamp 21,1 which, as above stated, is mounted at the central point ofthe base plate 12.

- As a means for; normally excluding the'. light of the lamp.20 from the chambers A,

B and C,'and at the same/time permitting the .chambers to be independently illuminated forthe purpose ofsignaling the d1--; rection contemplated by' the driver of thej machine, there have been provided three shutters, designated individually by the nu-: merals 35, 36 and 37, and respectively mounted for slidin'g movement across theo'enendof'the' casings 28, 29 andBO. The

-s utters are similar in construction, and

it is therefore deemed necessary to describe I only one of. them in ,detaiL- Reference will By reference to this figure, it will be ob served that a pair of spaced rods 38 and 39' are mounted at their terminals injsockets formedjin the base plate12and face plate 14, these rods being arranged at opposite sides "of the casing. The shutter'40 is 'es sentially a metallic plate, rectangular in shape, and equipped at each end with. a pair of spaced rolled ears 41 and 42. The rolled ears of the shutters 40 encircle the rods 38 and 39,.andare designed to slide thereupon. A pair of 'coil springs 43 are mounted on the rods 38 and 39,'each being disposed with one terminal in engagement with the base plate 12, and'the other ter minal fixed to'the adjacent ear of the shutter. These spring members 43 are normally designed to hold .the shutters in closed po'si tion from the open end 'of the casing. Each, shutter carries what may be't'ermed armature'disks, as indicated at 44.

As a means for electrically operating the shutters, there have been provided three electromagnets, individually designated by the numerals 45, 46 and 47, and respectively arranged in horizontal alinement with the disks of the shutters 35, 36' and 37. It-will be observed that by energizing any one of the magnets, the shutter with which it is alined will be pulled toward the magnet, thus openingthe light chamber of the cas; ing to which the shutter is attached.

As a, meansfor attaehingthe base plate 7 v 12 to the automobile, a bracket of any suit -and 47-,"re's'pectively, by the conductor wires 7 66, 67 and 68. Switches 69, 70 andv 71, of

the ordinary push button type, are interposed respectively in the wires 66, 67fand '68. The switches 69, 70 and 71 are placed The positive wire 61 is.

within convenient reach of thedriver, and

may be equipped with ,any suitable characteristics: to"identify them. ,It will be ob;

served that by these three switehes, the

driver of the machine may independently energize either one-of themagnets 45,46- or 47, to admit the light of the electric lamp into the several chambers A, B and C, re-

ferred to and described above. ,The lamp,

designated in Fig.7 by the numeral 21, 1s

connected by the positive and negative wires.

72 and73, to 'the'batteries 60in th'emanner illustrated. A' switch maybe interposed in the'lamp circuit, as at 74, thus enabling the driver'to keep the lamp illuminated at eonstant'jlight' onthe tail plate. or--.danger signal 23 and license plate 22. ""It As regards the operatlon ofthe signal, it e is to be noted that if the driver of the signal car.ryingmachine contemplates a right turn, the magnet 45 is energized byrclo'sing the circuit at. the switch 69. Whenthe'magnet 45 is energized, the armature disk, carried all times, for the purpose of throwing .a

on the shutter-35, will be drawn toward the magnet, thus withdrawing' the shutter "and admitting the light from the lamp 521 into the chamber A; consequently illuminating the arrow offthe plate 24, andmakin'g the direction characteristic R discernible by the drivers of oncoming vehicles. As soon as the circult is broken, at 69, the spring 43 will return the shutter to closed position,

and the direction indicating plate 24 is again darkened. The manipulation of the device to illuminate ,the left turn and stop signals is similar, as will be observed by reference to the drawings.

In reduction to practice, I- have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most eflicient and practical; yet, realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of mydevice will necessarily vary, I. desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction proportion-and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination in a direction indicating device including .a base plate, of a cylindrical casing detachably secured to said.

plate, a plurality of variouslycolored glass plates mounted in said casing and provided with direction indicating characteristics, an

open end'ed housing for each of said plates,

a sliding shutter for each ofsaid housings, an electric lamp mounted centrally of saidbaseplate, said shutters being normally disposed to close the open end of the housing and to exclude the light from said electric lamp, an electromagnet for. controlling the sliding movement of each of said shutters, said magnets being secured to the said'base plate, an independent electrical'circuit for each of said magnets, a lamp circuit including, an electric lamp mounted centrally within said casing, open ended housings mounted within saidcasing, direction indicating glass"plates mounted in the faces of said housings a pair of spaced rods mounted within said casing and adjacent the 0 en ends of each of the housings, a shutter s idably mounted upon each pair of rods normally' closing the adjacent housing, springs mounted upon said rods to normally hold said shutters in a closed position and electromagnets for opening said shutters.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tyvowitnesses.

7 JAMES J. OCONNELL.

Witnesses:

- EARL F. Case,

MARIE F. Koomm'r.

. ing said lamp and a battery common to said g i 

